Vanilla Ice Cream
by Chynee
Summary: Kaoru and Misao were making a small amount of money selling ice cream but they were happy. Unknown to them, a civil war was brewing underneath their happy lives. They didn’t know that witnessing a single murder could change everything. KK, M/A
1. Your Order, Please?

**Vanilla Ice Cream**

_By Chynee_

Chapter One: "Your Order Please?"

It was hot…

No, more than hot.

It was more like a furnace heated to a thousand degrees Celsius outside and Kamiya, Kaoru was stuck in the middle of the sidewalk selling tempting ice cream to any customer that was desperate enough to buy some. Thankfully there were many children who were complaining about the blistering heat. Unfortunately for Kaoru the ice cream was going through a process called: melting.

The day had started off with such promise of beautiful weather but as noon drew closer she saw that the sun had decided not to be merciful and had shed its harmful rays upon poor Kaoru. She stood under the rainbow colored umbrella and quickly scooped out chocolate ice cream for her latest customer, a 7-year-old girl with one of her front teeth missing.

"Here you go," Kaoru said smilingly as she handed the ice cream cone to the young girl. The mother of the girl only smiled at Kaoru and thanked Kaoru since the child was too busy enjoying the melting treat.

Looking at the large clock in the center of the small town she saw that it was almost time to head on home. Kaoru sighed in relief when the time finally came to pack up. She couldn't wait to jump into her bed and fall asleep. She didn't care if her apartment looked like a hurricane and a tornado went through it. Hopefully her apartment-mate and best friend had left some dinner on the table…boy, she was starved.

As Kaoru was picking up the last of the ice cream buckets from the small cart, a tantalizing scent of pinewood and spice filled her nostrils. Instantly entranced by the wonderful smell, Kaoru closed her eyes and tried to enjoy herself. She didn't realize that the pleasant aroma had come from a customer until someone cleared their throat.

Kaoru looked up right away and faced her customer but caught her breath when she saw the person that stood before her.

He was a bit taller than Kaoru but not too much and even though his black trench coat hid most of his body Kaoru could still see that the guy was active physically. She looked at his face and could only marvel at how good he looked. His face was perfectly shaped with perfect features. His eyes, despite them being narrowed dangerously, were strikingly attractive. He had a nice nose and a mouth that looked ready to frown at any minute. Overall his face was, in short, beautiful. And as if to add to his peculiarity, his face was framed by unruly blood red bangs. The rest of his hair was tied back into a high ponytail.

But along with his attractive and almost girlish qualities, there was a large bandage on his left cheek. Kaoru briefly wondered what kind of horrible injury lay beneath the white fabric.

The man cleared his throat again and increased his glare intensity.

Kaoru turned five shades of red as she realized that she'd been caught staring. Just exactly how long was she staring?

"Oh, sorry about that," she sputtered nervously and quickly grabbed a cone and the ice cream scooper before waiting patiently for the order. She really tried to not to gawk at him. She hoped that she didn't see the guy ever again…

"Oh Ken-san look, you made the ice cream vendor girl speechless. You should apologize," piped up a feminine voice.

Kaoru blinked. She was so absorbed in his handsomeness that she didn't even notice that the man had a companion.

She wasn't that pretty in Kaoru's opinion. It was kind of obvious that the girl wasn't from Japan since her tanned skin, silky ebony black hair and exotic green eyes told it all. Even her smile was foreign. Yes, Kaoru thought the outsider wasn't that pretty…she was just devastatingly eye-catching. How on earth did she learn to speak Japanese so fluently?

"One chocolate ice cream," he ordered in a deadpan voice, completely ignoring the girl's comment.

The exotic beauty pouted as she watched Kaoru scoop up the melting chocolate ice cream and slopped the semi-liquid substance onto the ice cream cone. She turned to her escort, frowned and tugged on his trench coat sleeve.

"Let's go somewhere else… I think I lost my appetite for ice cream," she whispered loud enough for only the man to hear. She turned away and walked down the sidewalk to see what other shops to go to.

Kaoru, fortunately heard it, and growled angrily at the woman's retreating figure. She'd just wasted time in trying to fulfill an order that was ultimately cancelled mid-process. Her hand twitched and she felt like throwing the ice cream cone with the melting chocolate ice cream at the back of the ungrateful girl. She would've done too it if it wasn't for her nagging conscience telling her that she still had a customer in front of her. Kaoru kept herself in check and focused her sky blue eyes back to the man still standing in place.

"So I take it the lady will not eat the ice cream?" She asked politely as she got ready to dispose of the wasted ice cream cone. She looked up at his eyes and almost yelped to see that his amber gaze was focused on her.

She didn't like the look that the man was giving her, as if he was sizing her up, trying to see if she had any hidden agenda. His scrutinizing gaze made her shift uncomfortably and she desperately tried to look away. But his glare was paralyzing her, darn it all.

"S-sir?" she squeaked.

As if snapping out of some illusion, the man slightly shook his head and turned to look at the figure of the foreigner walking away. He seemed to suddenly realize that he could lose her at any minute. He gracefully fumbled for his wallet and took out the amount needed for the ice cream cone and handed it to Kaoru.

Kaoru was a bit confused. Why would the man pay for it if the lady wasn't going to eat it? Being hesitant at first, Kaoru made a reach for the money and jumped when the man shoved the yen into her hand and grabbed the ice cream cone. He nodded curtly before briskly walking away, _drinking_ the liquid ice cream and chewing on the ice cream cone. He quickly disappeared in the mass of people getting ready to head home.

Still a bit dazed from that short encounter with the black-haired beauty and the handsome redhead, Kaoru slowly cleaned up the mess she'd made from earlier that day. She couldn't wait to go home and sleep and erase that weird feeling forming in her stomach from that strange meeting with the odd couple. She looked at the money that had somehow still remained in her open palm.

Yep, she couldn't wait to go home.

**0o0o0o0**

The next day Kaoru awoke to an annoying migraine. She curled up in her bed as she gripped her head and applied pressure to her temples. The source of the pain came from the back of her head and it eventually affected most of the frontal lobe. She decided it best if she stayed home that day. The ice cream could wait. She'd just have to apologize to the regular customers when she came back later on in the afternoon, if her migraine ever left that quickly…

_'Where is the Advil…?'_ she thought dazedly as she tried to get up from her bed and immediately regretted doing so.

She didn't always work as an ice cream seller. In fact, Kaoru used to have a very nice well-paying job as secretary to a prominent computer manufacturing business until a few days ago when the owner declared that Tiger Claw Computers had finally reached bankruptcy.

So how did Kaoru end up selling ice cream? Thinking it was wise to have a temporary job where she could easily quit instead of finding a job the seemed promising at first only to find out that you can't quit from evil clutches when you want to. Actually, selling ice cream was a bit worth it to see smiles from all ages as they enjoyed the treat of a lifetime.

Well, almost everyone smiled when they received ice cream from her. The only one that seemed to frown at the desert was that man from yesterday…

"Kaoru! Are you gonna go to Sakura Park later? Wanna have a picnic later?"

Falling to the floor in surprise, Kaoru growled at the sound of her over-enthusiastic friend and apartment-mate, Misao Makimachi. It was WAY too early to be this happy in the morning.

The door to Kaoru's room burst open as a slim, over-exuberant girl practically skipped into the room. Her emerald green eyes were alive with excitement as she looked for her best friend. A confused look passed over her teenage features when she didn't see Kaoru in her bed.

"Kaoru?"

"Misao, do you mind not shouting? My head is killing me and I can't find the Advil," Kaoru groaned as her head popped up from the other side of the bed where Misao couldn't see her.

"Oh," Misao whispered as understanding reached her.

She reached into her pockets and pulled out a bottle that read 'Advil' on it. Shaking the bottle to confirm that there were indeed pills left inside, Misao handed the bottle to Kaoru and quietly waited for Kaoru to respond.

The look on Kaoru's face was a relieved one as she received the bottle. She sighed and gave a small smile.

"Misao, get me a glass of water and then we can have our picnic later," she said quietly and clambered up into her bed.

The other girl only grinned at the 23-year-old before heading off into the kitchen to get a glass of water.

**0o0o0o0**

"I'll take a strawberry one, please!" A teenaged boy asked politely as he held his girlfriend's hand in his.

"I'd like to have chocolate," piped a young boy standing next to the couple.

"Hey, I was here before you!"

"No you weren't!"

Kaoru sighed good-naturedly as she alternated between scooping ice cream and receiving money and giving change. She wore slippers and white jeans with a plain white shirt. She opted to wear shorts since she knew the weather was only going to warmer as the day drew by but decided against it since she didn't like exposing herself that much to the public. And besides, it didn't go well with the red and yellow striped apron that matched with her ice cream cart. She was more comfortable in jeans anyway…

_'Why on earth is Misao taking so long to use the bathroom? Is there a line or something?'_ Kaoru wondered anxiously as her thoughts ran to her 'assistant'.

Sure, they were best friends and shared the same messy apartment. But it just so happened that both of them were out of luck when it came to well-paying jobs. Kaoru and Misao had both worked in the same company and were both laid off when the company had finally gone bankrupt. Since Kaoru decided to get a job, Misao decided that she too would work. She was content with just being Kaoru's assistant and helping Kaoru when the she was tired.

_'She better finish up soon…my hands feel like they're going to fall off any second,'_

As if she had heard Kaoru's urgent plea, Misao came from the direction of the bathroom, bubbling with smiles and giggles. She glanced at Kaoru and gave her an apologetic smile before taking over to work her 'shift'.

"Okay! Who wanted strawberry?"

Kaoru smiled wearily at Misao, thankful for such an understanding friend. She looked around at the park and noted the beauty that it sported. The sky was as blue as sky blue could get with a few bright clouds here and there. Looking down into the park Kaoru could see many people sitting in various areas under the blossoming sakura trees. Around this time of the year there were many family outings and friendly picnics. Kaoru felt as though she and Misao were adding to the effect by selling their ice cream. And because of this they were making a lot of money.

Kaoru suddenly felt the urge to take a stroll around the park.

She turned to whisper into Misao's ear. "Misao, I'm just going to take a short walk around. I won't be gone long."

Misao smiled brightly at Kaoru. "Sure, but just remember that we're almost out of ice cream. If we're going to sell anymore we need to restock soon," she said and faced the crowd nervously before turning back to Kaoru. "And fast…"

Kaoru giggled and promised to have more ice cream by the time she came back. Eyeing the ice cream cones being handed out to the customers, Kaoru decided to buy a cone for herself. She left the money in the apron pocket Misao had donned and quickly grabbed a cone and put vanilla ice cream onto the cone. She slipped away before Misao could protest.

**0o0o0o0**

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Kaoru decided to take a short rest. She'd gone to a small supermarket and bought six buckets of ice cream, two for each flavor that they frequently sold: vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. She needed the rest anyway. Her arms were almost ripped out of their sockets when she'd tried to carry the three bags. Luckily they weren't paper bags and the clerk was smart enough to use more than one bag otherwise the ice cream buckets would've fallen right through.

Seeing a secluded spot near a small pond Kaoru headed right over and propped herself up against the tree and slid down slowly into a sitting position. She was exhausted. Closing her eyes for a short shut-eye, Kaoru leaned her head against the trunk of the tree and listened to the sounds of nature about her. She enjoyed the feel of the sakura blossoms as they tickled her face when the gentle wind blew them her way.

Kaoru usually thought the sounds of birds were annoying, especially in the morning when she was still lying in bed trying to catch up on more sleep. But at the moment she eagerly listened for their ever constant twittering but was surprised when she'd heard none. Actually, it wasn't the lack of the ambience that caught Kaoru off guard. It was the sound of someone whimpering incoherent words.

Her eyes snapped open when she heard the all too familiar sound of a sword being drawn from its sheath. Alarmed, Kaoru stood up slowly and carefully peeked behind the trunk of the tree to see what she could see…

She barely suppressed a gasp from escaping her lips when a terrifying sight reached her line of vision.

**0o0o0o0**

_'Oooh that girl is gonna get it! We've finally run out of ice cream! What am I supposed to tell our customers? And where on earth is Kaoru with the ice cream she promised?'_ Misao thought irritably as she saw some would-be customers pass by when they saw that the ice cream buckets were empty.

Making up her mind, Misao decided to go buy more ice cream from the supermarket before more of their money could walk away.

Hanging the "Be Right Back" sign on the cart, Misao hurried away to the supermarket. She didn't have to worry about leaving the cart in the middle of the park since no one would want to steal an ice cream cart with no ice cream in it. Who wanted an ice cream cart anyway?

She sighed as she headed in the general direction of the supermarket but paused mid-stride when she saw a tall, looming man in a white trench coat not far off in the distance. Long bangs framed his lengthy face as he seemed to be scanning the vicinity with his ice cold eyes. His blue eyed gaze landed on Misao for the briefly, lingering a tad bit before turning to look in other directions. He turned around to look at his men and signaled for them to search in other areas.

Misao felt her heartbeat quicken when he glanced at her. She knew that she'd fallen for the stranger, caught in his web. She was snagged, hook, line and sinker. Whatever the expression, whatever the phrase, Misao knew the feeling that was described in those phrases was the one and only feeling that she felt at that moment.

_'Is it love?'_ she thought wonderingly before willing her body to move. She slowly followed the course she'd planned for herself, all the while sneaking side glances at the stranger in the park. When she finally couldn't see him anymore, she snapped out of her trance and ran to the supermarket for more than just getting ice cream. She needed to calm her racing heart…

**0o0o0o0**

Blood red locks lifted slightly in the breeze that blew past the small secluded clearing in the Sakura Park. The figure clad in a black trench coat, black slacks and black shoes was at an angle that concealed the possessor of such a powerful aura. Yet despite the face being hidden from her, Kaoru instantly knew who the man was.

_'It's the man from yesterday!'_

Holding a wakizashi in his grip, the red head stood absolutely still. He was standing in front of a man of large proportions dressed in shorts and a plain big shirt. His wide-rimmed glasses hung loosely upon the tip of his nose. There was a large mole underneath his eye and his mouth was moving rapidly saying words that Kaoru couldn't understand. But when she strained her ears she could hear a conversation going on between the two.

"Watanabe, Koji," the murderer, obviously, spoke in a blanched voice, void of emotion.

"P-please…please! Just spare me! I h-have children…p-please!" Koji whimpered pitifully as he bowed respectfully to the short yet fearful man before him.

"They will never notice your disappearance…"

"P-please…"

Kaoru didn't like the looks of the situation. In her opinion, it seemed as though the strong were picking on the weak. Bullying was something that Kaoru could not tolerate. She had grown up with it almost all of her life and she just couldn't stand watching others get beat up for no apparent reason. A wave of righteous fury swelled up inside Kaoru as she tried to devise a way to protect Koji from his soon-to-be-but-going-to-be-stopped murderer.

Scanning the area for any man-made weapon, Kaoru almost groaned in aggravation as she saw that she didn't even have a stick to hit the red head with. The only potential weapons she had were the six buckets of ice cream still wrapped in plastic bags. A smirk made its way to Kaoru's face as she gripped the bag with determination set in her eyes.

"C'mon! I'll-I'll do anything! Just don't k-kill me!"

The other man, tired of the pleadings of a dead man, sighed minutely before fixing his stance.

"Prepare to die Watanab-"

"Kyaaaaah!!"

Kaoru jumped from behind the tree with two bags of ice cream in her clutches. She began to swing the bags furiously as she aimed for the head full of red locks. She watched as his head reared back quickly with a look of utter surprise pasted all over his face. Just as she was about to land a good hit on the guy, he vanished from sight.

_'Wha-?'_ Kaoru thought confusedly when she saw that her target wasn't there anymore.

She landed on one knee and crouched cautiously, surveying the surrounding trees and bushes in case of a possible one-man ambush. She slowly inched her way to Koji. Once she saw the area was clear she began to order Koji to leave with his kids before anyone else got hurt. She didn't notice the glare she received from the man with the oversized belly.

"You little meddling wench! Just what do you think you're doing? I had him right there! I could've killed him!!" Koji roared irately. He stood up to his full height and grabbed Kaoru by the throat. He lifted her up high and began to slap her.

"I was just about to kill him and you ruined my plans! Now what is Shinomori-sama going to say to me? I'm going to be fired for sure!"

Kaoru was shocked. What was so wrong in trying to save someone from getting a brutal beating from a dangerous man with a pointy object? But her shock was coated with terror when Koji seized her by her throat and began to beat the living daylights out of her, or at least that was his aim. Next time she was DEFINITELY not going to help an individual when death is glaring at them in the face.

Kaoru realized that she was quickly running out of oxygen. She found it hard to breathe. That's when she noticed she still had the ice cream buckets in her grip. She began to try her best to swing the buckets at the arms of Koji, particularly at the elbows since they were the most likely to bend under pressure. But her attempts were fruitless and she ultimately dropped the buckets and began to desperately pry his fingers open. Black dots began to fill her vision as her oxygen intake rapidly depleted.

_Whoosh!_

She barely felt the rush of wind since her blood was racing through her veins and all she could hear was her pounding heart as it beat faster and faster. Through the black dots she saw the red head appear behind Koji, despite his small size, and draw his wakizashi before slashing Koji horizontally from shoulder to hip in a single clean stroke. Kaoru felt the rock solid earth beneath her before she blacked out.

**0o0o0o0**

Misao dreaded the walk back to the park. She couldn't sort out the conflicting feelings welling up within her as it dawned on her mind that she didn't want to see the man again. But at the same time she wanted to have his cold gaze focus on her again, making her feel important. There was something about him that commanded her wholehearted attention. His aura seemed to draw her in, making her concentrate on him and him alone. She didn't like how easily he'd robbed her of all rational thought.

_'After I find Kaoru we're going to close shop for the day and head on home,' _Misao told herself and quickened her pace.

She'd taken a different route back through the park so that she could avoid seeing the man again. Thankfully she knew the park like the back of her hand. That's when it dawned on Misao's mind.

_'Kaoru probably got lost! She doesn't come to the park often and I think this might be one of the few times that she's ever come here… Hm… This is going to make looking for her all the more harder,'_

Misao could already see the spot where the cart was and she was glad to see that there wasn't a certain tall person prowling around the area. Deciding to take a little short cut to lessen the time, Misao passed by a clearing away from the rest of the park. She liked passing by here when she had nothing to do. This place was where she usually reflected on things so that she could keep her cheery disposition. This place was her outlet.

She was going to pass by casually when she heard a rustle in the bushes nearby. Misao instantly stilled her usual active body and listened intently to her surroundings. Her eyes narrowed considerable and she cautiously approached the bush with her six buckets of ice cream ready to launch an attack. Just when she was going to pounce on the bush a squirrel jumped out, frightened by Misao's strange behavior, and ran off to another tree.

Misao, on the other hand, landed roughly on the bush. The wind was knocked out of her as she glared at the squirrel who decided to take five years off her life. But before Misao could stand up she saw through the bush a bunch of men dressed in black. The men resembled the small group the guy in the trench coat was commanding. Misao instantly recognized them and remembered that they were looking for someone.

She noticed that they'd crowded around a certain object or person. Thinking it was nothing, Misao was about to get up when she noticed bags like her own. There were three of them. Seeing through the transparent plastic she realized that they were ice cream. Now why would these men buy ice cream?

_'Kaoru!'_ Misao thought immediately and knew right away that it was her friend that they were surrounding. Or so she thought…

"Pick up the body slowly. Orders from Shinomori-sama," one of the men directed. "We are to guard the body until someone claims it."

Thinking quickly, Misao stood up unsteadily and took a deep breath.

"Excuse me! I'm her sister! What are you doing to her?"

The group of men froze and turned to look at Misao. One of the men shifted slightly and she could see part of the body. The person was wearing shorts a large white t-shirt. What alarmed Misao the most was that the person had a large pot-belly instead of the flat stomach that Kaoru proudly boasted. She noticed that there were two groups of men, each holding one-half of the body.

Misao gasped. It wasn't Kaoru they were holding…

"Oh, so you're _her _sister now?" A deep voice asked calmly as a figure approached from the shadows of the trees.

Misao bit down on her tongue when she met an ice cold gaze.

**0o0o0o0**

A/N: Well, that's my first chapter! I think it's a bit too long for a first chapter… And could someone clarify the difference between the wakizashi and katana? I forgot which one is longer. But don't forget to review! Thanks for reading and hopefully I can upload more for you as soon as possible. Ingats!


	2. You're Hired

Warning: You might find this chapter a bit boring…

**Vanilla Ice Cream**

_By Chynee_

Chapter Two: You're Hired

Misao felt like a deer staring straight into the headlights of a vehicle, too scared to move. But then she realized that the man's icy glare wasn't going to do anything but stare and she let her nerves take over.

She ran.

She ran as fast, far and as stealthily as she could but the weight of the ice cream buckets were starting to take its toll on her and the familiar feeling of her arms being ripped out of their sockets came rushing back and pretty soon she began to slow down. She knew that the handsome man had sent some of his men after her but she'd gained a good distance from them since she surprised them.

Realizing that she was standing out in the open with no where else to run, Misao quickly hid the ice cream buckets in a bush and proceeded to search for her own safe place to hide. The only place that she deemed was safe enough was a particularly large sakura tree not far from the bush that hid the ice cream buckets.

Suddenly thankful for her slight tomboyish nature Misao jumped and fastened her tight grip onto the lowest branch and hoisted herself up higher into the tree. Once high enough Misao hid herself among the clumps of un-fallen blossoms and watched and waited for the group of men she knew were looking for her.

Misao's plan was to wait until the man had given up on looking for her before she'd go down and find another way back home instead of heading back to the ice cream cart. She was almost certain that the man in the white trench coat had also sent men there in case she came back. So this meant that she'd have to pass through the bushes instead of using the sidewalk.

She sighed. How did the day turn out like this?

"C'mon! I saw her go this way," an unfamiliar voice sounded from directly under the tree that Misao was in.

The sound of footsteps running further away from where Misao hid sent a wave of relief through her. She continued to watch them wander aimlessly through the area. Then out of the corner of her eye she saw one of them trip on the bush that'd safely hid her ice cream. She sucked in her breath when she saw the man inspect the bush.

"Hey look! If found something here!" The man pulled out the buckets and held them up for the others to see.

'_Darn, they found it…hope they go away soon so I can go home,'_ Misao thought anxiously and tried her bets not to fidget since many of them were now searching the bushes near the tree.

Unexpectedly her nose started to itch and burn and Misao silently curse her nose for it's bad timing. She couldn't sneeze. Not _now_ when she was trying her best to remain hidden. But her nose didn't care and continued to twitch uncomfortably, making the sneeze more inevitable. Misao desperately tried to hold it in but she just couldn't…

"AH-CHOOO!"

Then as if things couldn't get any worse, Misao's footing began to falter and she felt her feet slip from beneath her. Before she knew it she was falling from the tree, heading straight for the solid ground below. Misao shut her eyes and prepared herself for the impact.

But she never felt the pain she was expecting to feel. Instead she felt a strong grip on her hand and Misao was too dazed to look up to see who her savior was. When she recomposed herself she looked up on to be surprised at who'd saved her.

**0o0o0o0**

Kaoru stirred slightly when she felt a small drop of water fall on her face. She felt aches all over her body and she distinctly registered in the back of her mind that she was lying on a bed, a bed that didn't feel like hers at all.

Another drop on her cheek completely woke Kaoru up and she immediately opened her eyes. She found herself staring into someone's blank but curious stare. Kaoru jumped with a start and tried to scoot farther away from those penetrating eyes. She nearly yelped when she almost fell off the bed.

Once Kaoru had backed up far enough she was able to get a good look at the woman who possessed those eyes that were as black as the deepest depths of the ocean.

Layered hair framed the pale face of a girl not much older than Kaoru. Her ebony black hair was tied back into a low ponytail, tied at the base of her neck which was decently covered by the collar of a traditional Japanese kimono. Kaoru noticed that the individual sitting across from her wore no make-up and that her plain features were strikingly beautiful in an ethereal way. The lady that watched almost seemed amused judging from the slight glint in her eyes and the small upturn of her lips.

The strange individual shifted slightly and Kaoru was immediately assaulted with the calming scent of plum blossoms and Kaoru immediately felt a small tinge of jealousy sprinkle up inside of her and briefly wondered if she'd ever smelled _that_ good.

"Who are you?" she asked cautiously, not completely trusting the other too much.

"Ah, forgive me for waking you up but I was given orders," the woman apologized in a small but calm voice and tried to approach Kaoru with the wet washcloth she still held in her hands.

"You still haven't answered my question," Kaoru stated defensively and kept her distance, warily eyeing the washcloth.

"Yes, so it seems," the other answered cryptically but noticed the look in Kaoru's eyes and tried to make amends. "I'm sorry, but I'm not permitted to release any information until you have agreed."

"Agree to what?"

The other lady calmly put the washcloth back into the basin full of cold water and calmly gazed at Kaoru's protective form. She shook her head tiredly and gave a weary smile.

"Would you like to freshen up? Perhaps your mind will be cleared up and you'd be ready to hear what I have to say to you,"

Thinking about it for a second, Kaoru decided against it and shook her head, giving the lady her answer.

"Very well, Kamiya-san,"

Kaoru's eyes narrowed dangerously when she realized that these people _knew_ her by name. How they got info on her was lost on Kaoru, especially when she knew shat she wasn't familiar with the beautiful lady. Then it struck Kaoru that whatever organization had picked her up would undoubtedly know much about her. Knowing her by her last name was only scratching the surface. They'd probably had an entire file that contained papers all about her. Kaoru calmed down a bit and focused on what the lady had to say.

Another wave of plum blossoms filled Kaoru's olfactory sense as the lady shifted again in her seat. She calmly placed the washcloth back in the basin and placed her hands on her lap, not intending to pick up the washcloth again, and began her explanation.

"First of all, let me ask you, do you remember what you saw before waking up here?"

Kaoru nodded slowly as she remembered the sight of Koji Watanabe being assassinated and tried her best to not throw up her guts all over the soft bed.

"What you had witnessed was an assassination assignment given by our boss to one of our elite assassins. What you had seen was _not_ supposed to be witnessed at all, yet you managed to show up at the wrong place and wrong time by trying to defend the victim. Your appearance has caused a tear in our plans of not being found out and now our system has been slightly disturbed."

The words were taking such a long time to be absorbed in the mind of Kaoru. She didn't get what the woman was talking about. What did she mean that she'd messed up their plans? What was this system they were talking about? And _why_ on earth were they allowing assassinations? Kaoru didn't like the feeling of remorse that pooled in the pit of her stomach. She would definitely save these questions for later, if she agreed…

"Just get to the point, please," Kaoru said impatiently, fed up with the way she was being kept in the dark.

The other woman seemed to have ignored Kaoru's questions all together and continued with her thought out explanation. "What I mean to say is that you ruined our plans to a certain extent and we have no clue as to what to do with you," the woman sighed when she saw that Kaoru finally understood what she'd said. "You see, Kamiya-san, we of the Choshu Organization are opposed to the government of this city. It has become corrupt over the years and the complaints of the people have finally reached the ears of our boss. We have finally started our rebellion, yet so early in the first stage things have already gone awry with your appearance,

"The negotiation I am supposed to establish with you is one of great importance since we are basically making you become one of us, a rebel. And before you refuse such an offer, you must understand. If we let you walk out of this building with that much knowledge, our association will be disbanded and this city will continue to spiral down in its corruption and eventually will turn out worse than having it burned to the ground.

"So, Kamiya-san, before I officially state the contract, you must also understand that you cannot refuse this offer. Refusing this offer is going to place you in a net of trouble and you will have no way of escape from this. If you join us, we can guarantee that you are safe and that our secret is safe with you. But if you do not join us and turn us over to the police, we can also assure you that you will not live to see the next morning."

Kaoru now absorbed the information like a sponge unlike earlier. It was almost impossible to believe that such a bustling and thriving city would have problems in the way it worked. She briefly wondered how the authorities were doing such a bad job until Kaoru realized that she still had some questions that needed answering.

"Wait! Why go to such drastic measures? Why can't I just _not_ join your organization _and_ keep your secret safe? And just exactly _what_ are you keeping me safe from?"

"Keep in mind, Kamiya-san, that we are opposed to the how the city is governed. So naturally one of our main and most troublesome enemies is the police force. They automatically join sides with the government and they are the ones that manage the efficiency of the dirty work of the government," the lady explained mechanically, as if she'd memorized what she was to say. But when she saw the utterly baffled look on Kaoru's face, she quickly thought up of another way to explain.

"The police force is the one that oversees the crime in our city, right? Because of the authorities in the government, they are also the ones that are assisting in committing more crimes. We have proof of them receiving imported packages from other countries, smuggling illegal drugs into this very city. Since the Choshu Organization is against the government, we are also against the police force.

"We are sheltering you from harm because once they find you they will question make your life every bit harder. They can put you in jail or they can put you on probation, especially when you withhold information that will undo all the crimes they've done. Not only that, but perhaps they might make you one of them. They might make you do things that you don't want to do. You _will_ be forced to do spy work since you've now been associated with us. You also might be highly praised by the authorities and be bestowed with wondrous gifts from them but can you really accept things that were put in there illegally? Can you really take things from them without knowing the guilt that comes with the knowledge that you only received these gifts because you help them do something that is illegal?"

"So you guys are just protecting me from knowing the guilt that will come after all of this," Kaoru reworded slowly and saw the other lady nod in confirmation.

Kaoru could understand this strange logic. Who _wouldn't_ be guilty for knowing that things like this could be stopped by you yet it wasn't because you sold the welfare of not only the city, but the lives within the city just to have your face on television, your name forever carved into the wall of heroes and a nice furnished mansion? Only people that were completely consumed by greed could ever do such a thing. Kaoru could do this, she could turn in the Choshu Organization, but it would forever be on her conscience that she could've done _something_, no matter how small, to stop the crime running amuck in the city. What both sides offered had great rewards, but she didn't think she could be haunted day-by-day for things that she could've prevented yet didn't.

"I see…"

"Do you have anymore questions Kamiya-san?"

"Yes, actually, I have a lot. Many, in fact, but some you can't answer unless I agree to this negotiation," Kaoru said quietly and sat up straight, finally realizing that she'd made her back ache by being in such a position. "But are they only smuggling drugs? Don't some cities do this?"

"I will not deny it, but some cities _do_ smuggle illegal things, but that doesn't mean that just because _some_ do that it's okay for them to do it. Governments are supposed to be here to _stop_ the crime not enforce it. And no, the government is not only smuggling illegal things. They have too many projects to enumerate, but I can say that they do many unforgivable things that are supposed to be stopped by the government, not the people of the city."

A sigh was Kaoru's response as she crossed her legs and held her covered her face with her hands, elbows resting against her knees. This was a bit too much to take, especially for just a regular citizen like herself. She wasn't supposed to be involved in this type of thing. All she was supposed to be doing was live a clean life, free of worries about who ran the city. But instead she was chosen to become a member of an organization that was _rebelling_ against the government. It was like she wasn't selling ice cream just a few hours ago to innocent residents of the city.

"So, if I join you guys, what's going to happen to me?"

"Our leader has yet to decide what will be done about where you live, but in the meantime you should be safe inside your apartment. But you are to come to a specific place at a certain time so that we can train you in combat such as attacking, defense and gun firing."

Kaoru looked up at the lady in alarm when she'd heard this. She combat and defense things were normal, but gun firing? Kaoru didn't like the idea of shooting mini missiles into the bodies of people. And were they really going to move her out?

"Why?"

"You'd be surprised at how eager the government wants to hide their sins…"

"Ah…"

The other lady lifted her sleeve slightly and Kaoru was slightly surprised to see that the lady had hidden a watch underneath the cloth. She looked at the watch and back at Kaoru, a bit tenser than before.

"Are you in a hurry?" Kaoru asked politely.

She didn't answer right away. "No, I am not. But I am expecting a phone call from the boss."

"Oh, okay."

"So, do you have anymore questions, Kamiya-san?"

Kaoru seemed to be lost in thought for a moment. If she agreed to this, she'd be safe from guilt and death. If she didn't, she'd be guilty _and_ she wouldn't be able to enjoy her luxuries long since the Choshu Organization promised to have her assassinated as well. Hmph…the decision was unanimous…

"Nope."

"So then, Miss Kamiya Kaoru,"

Kaoru stiffened a bit at the sound of her name coming from the other lady.

"Will you join us in our mission to fix the government?"

This was it. This decision was going to change Kaoru's life, forever. Should she agree to the offer this strange lady and abruptly imposed upon Kaoru? She'd wanted to be on neither side. All she wanted was to live a simple, happy life. But these people weren't making it easy on her, saying that there was going to be tons of trouble if she didn't join. But if she did then there'd still be trouble, but this time she'd be taken care of, she'd be protected.

But what would happen to Misao? Would she be protected as well? Wouldn't she be in danger since she knew Kaoru?

Thinking for a moment, Kaoru figured that the invitation was only extended to her and her alone, possibly meaning that they didn't know that Kaoru had a roommate which could also meant that Misao's identity would be protected. She wouldn't be harmed. And if Kaoru were to move away then Misao would most definitely be protected from those that were against Choshu.

Kaoru saw no other choice and could only nod her head in agreement.

The other lady smiled.

"Good."

**0o0o0o0**

Misao pouted unhappily as she glared at the detective sitting across from her, clipboard and pen in hand. She should've kept her darn mouth shut and she wouldn't even be in this situation!

She recalled how graciously saved from a bone breaking fall but she'd also been caught by that man…_again_. The moment Misao safely touched the ground she was instantly surrounded by men in black, ready to jump on her if she'd so much blinked. Not lo g after she was brought to the police station for questioning.

"Are you, in any way, connected to Watanabe Koji's murder?" asked the short lady investigator.

"I already told you 'no'. How many _times_ do I have to _repeat_ myself?" Misao snapped and deepened her frown. What was wrong with this lady? She'd seen police shows where people were interrogated. But this interrogation was going nowhere.

The stout lady fixed her wide rimmed glasses with a pudgy forefinger and wrote something on the piece of paper attached to the clipboard. She let her shoulders sag, a gesture saying that she'd given up on getting answers out of the girl. The stubborn weasel just wouldn't cooperate.

"Look, are you through with me? I have to go home soon."

'_And look for Kaoru,'_ Misao added in her mind and crossed her arms impatiently. As far as she was concerned, this 'interrogation' was a waste of time.

The investigator sighed and waved her hand, signaling for Misao to leave.

A sound that resembled a sigh of relief erupted from Misao and she stood up with a huff and headed straight for the only door in the room. She yanked the door open with unrestrained anger and was about to take a step outside but couldn't help but notice a tall, looming figure effectively blocking the only way out. Misao didn't even look at the one who stood in her way. She just looked back at the detective still in the room and scowled.

"What is up with you? You say I can leave but look at what you're doing! Just let me go home in peace!" She snapped furiously.

"Excuse me, Makimachi-san, but I suppose it wouldn't be much trouble if I will be the one to bring you back to your apartment," a deep voice rumbled from behind Misao's slender frame and she couldn't help but turn around to see who'd spoken so unexpectedly.

She bit back her tongue when she saw the man from earlier yet again. She was getting tired of seeing him literally _everywhere_ she went that day. First he was in the park, the next thing she knew she was being saved from a horrible fall because he'd saved her and now he was offering her a ride home? What was up with this guy? And most importantly, why did she have to like how he was such a gentleman yet seem cold and distant at the same time? She didn't like how her feelings liked to play tricks on her.

"Y-yeah…sure," she muttered almost inaudibly and waited for the tall man to move to the side slightly before passing through the hallways, having memorized the way to the entrance.

"She's a tough cookie. Have fun getting _anything_ from her," the detective that was still sitting in the room stated monotonously.

"You forget who I am, Tanaka-san," he spoke disinterestedly and silently left quietly after the storming Misao.

The ride home was uneventful and Misao wasn't surprised at the fact that the man knew where she lived. It wasn't surprising, yet it disturbed Misao nonetheless that they already knew much about her yet she didn't know a singe thing about them. She could tell that she'd involved herself in big trouble, especially since the police were involved and she had a strange sense telling her that this investigation was about much more than the death of that man.

She shifted uncomfortable in her seat and stared out the window, recognizing the familiar places. They were close now to the apartment and Misao felt some of her nervousness slip away. She was glad the ride had gone smoothly, neither of them had muttered so much as a single word and she was slightly thankful. Her mixed feelings had her wanting to wrap her arms around his neck in an embrace and in the next second she wanted to stay far away from him. How come he could rock her world so easily, leaving her befuddled in the mess so that she could pick up after herself?

The car finally came to a stop and she prepared to leave, fully intending not to say 'thank you', but stopped short when he called out to her. She looked at him expectantly.

"May I enter your apartment?"

A strange look came over Misao's face. What a strange question indeed… But she could only nod cause even if she said no he'd find some way to get inside, with a warrant or not.

"Sure," was her only reply as she stepped out of the car and made her way to her apartment floor.

She pretended not to notice the strange stares that she received from her neighbors as they looked at the strange man following Misao. Heading straight for the second floor, Misao took out her keys from her pocket. Once on the second floor she headed for the door that led to the apartment that she and Kaoru shared. When she finally had the door open, she remembered to hold the door open so that her guest could step in as wel.

After he'd quietly entered and taken off his shoes he went straight into the living room, not feeling strange in the environment at all. She watched him with a hawk's caution and followed him. She noted that he would look at some pictures from time to time, pausing once in a while to look at pictures of her and Kaoru. She felt another interrogation coming…

"Who's this?" He asked mutely, still staring at a particular picture of her and Kaoru when they'd taken a short vacation and headed to the beach. Both were wearing bikinis and were grinning like two silly teenaged girls.

"Oh, we both share the apartment. She hasn't come home yet…"

The man turned away from the pictures and settled his gaze on Misao's sorrowful one.

"Is she always home late?"

"No, actually, we work together. As a matter of fact, we were both at the park today. When you saw me in the bushes earlier today I was searching for her and I thought that the dead guy was her so I panicked and I said that I was her sister. Kaoru and I aren't really sisters, we're just best friends from college…"

The man's expression changed minutely when she mentioned that her friend was also at the park. He started putting pieces together and he found it strange that her friend would suddenly go missing when there was a murder.

"And I'm guessing that you thought it was her because of the ice cream buckets?" he asked, waiting to hear her answer so that he could confirm his suspicions.

Misao could only nod in confusion. How did this guy know? She didn't like this at all, even if this guy was clearly a detective of some sorts… Heck, she couldn't even be sure if this guy was a detective since she didn't even know his name.

"Um…excuse me for asking, but I didn't catch your name, Detective."

"My name is Shinomori, Aoshi and I'm not really a detective though I do work for investigating crime scenes for the police."

"Ah, okay. Um, is there anything else you'd like to know?"

He didn't answer right away but when he did Misao was shocked.

"You want me to WHAT?!" She shrieked and gaped at Aoshi with unabashed astonishment.

Aoshi's face seemed to become more stressed. Probably not liking how he had to repeat himself. "I'm asking you, as leader of the Oniwabanshu, to join our group in stopping crime."

Okay, this was by far the strangest thing that'd occurred to Misao in the entire day. After all she'd been through earlier, she was now being offered a job that was much less duller than selling ice cream. But why should she join? What was the point of being a part of their group?

"Why would I join you? What have you to offer me?"

"You say your friend is missing, correct?"

She nodded slowly, not seeing where the man was getting to.

"We can help you find her. The organization that has her right now is extremely dangerous and you cannot find her on your own. With the help of the Oniwabanshu we can help locate your friend. It is clear that you have some experience in spy work."

At this Misao shook her head. She'd never been a spy or a thief or anything that hid in the darkness of the shadows. But she did know that as a child she was fairly good at playing hide-and-seek with her friends. They almost never _ever_ found her. And through the years the talent sort of stuck with her, making her victim to knowledge that she shouldn't have learned.

The news slightly took Aoshi off guard. He'd seen the way she'd cleverly hid herself among the sakura blossoms without being seen by his men. She was smart and quick-witted, knowing how to handle a situation at the last minute. She was a valuable asset to his group _and_ not only that, she knew the girl who was abducted by the organization that had made themselves an enemy. So if she joined, she could possibly help in finding not only the location of the group, but also help in disbanding them.

"Nonetheless, you are in need of a job."

That may have been so, but Misao most certainly had a head upon her shoulders. The job proposition that he'd offered her seemed dangerous and she was all up for it but something was nagging at her, telling her to think it through. And it did seem sensible to join. She would finally have a job and she wasn't sure when Kaoru would be back from wherever she'd disappeared. Having this job could help find her. They _were_ the police, anyway. Who else could help in finding a missing person?

Misao nodded…but she still felt guilty about something. Perhaps she felt bad about leaving Kaoru like this. They'd usually go over things together before going ahead with the plan and this time Kaoru wasn't there. Misao had a strange feeling that Kaoru had been kidnapped and wouldn't be returning for a while. And Misao would definitely be there to receive any news or phone calls that Kaoru might make to their apartment.

But this temporary job seemed reasonable.

"Can I quit when I want?" Was her only question…

An eyebrow was lifted slightly at her question. Why on earth would she want to quit? But then going over the facts, it was human to quit a job once things got too dangerous.

"Yes…"

Okay! That made up Misao's mind. She'd have the job until Kaoru came back and when she did they could go back to selling ice cream together.

Misao nodded and tried to muster up a smile but couldn't give a real one. She couldn't stop the feeling of betrayal rising up from the depths of her stomach.

'_Kaoru…'_

**0o0o0o0**

A/N: Okay, whoever found this chapter boring raise your hand! It wasn't a fun chapter to write, let me tell you…I had so many ideas about this chapter but none of them seemed to work out. And after endless days of toying around with plots, this is what I came up with. It could've been better and I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't as good as the other. I lose my inspiration once in a while. I PROMISE that my next chapter will be better.

Oh yeah, thanks for the help with the wakizashi and katana problem. As it is, I don't go online often because the place where I'm staying has no internet. I can only have access to the internet if I go to school and upload it from there or if I go to the internet in the city. If you have questions you could always email me and I'll just write back when I can get to you. But there was a question that was asked about my last chapter…

The girl that was with Kenshin in the first chapter is indeed a character that I made up. Her name won't be mentioned until a later chapter, but she is an insignificant figure and I won't be using her much in the story. I just used her because the other characters of Rurouni Kenshin have bigger and better things to do. So I made her up just like Koji Watanabe. Hehehe…

And I was finally able to 'reveal' Aoshi's identity. That isn't much of a surprise since it was kind of obvious that it was Aoshi since the beginning. But it is a landmark. I get to use 'Aoshi' instead of referring to him as 'that man' or 'the guy'. Hehehehe…and I'm sure all of you know who was the girl that was speaking to Kaoru about that whole Choshu thing. ;) You guys are smart.

Hm, I finally reach the end of my author's note(s). I have nothing else to say but the usual: review please! And if you guys think that my plot needs more excitement, just tell me because I'm really just making this story up as I go along…(probably shouldn't have told you guys that) but then you guys will understand my situation. So yeah…

Ingats!!!

P.S. I consider this chapter as 'unstable'. I might end up editing it very soon. But since I haven't uploaded for you in a while, I'll just let you read what I have. :)


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